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OdySea Aquarium re-launches animal encounters

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

Guests at OdySea Aquarium who have been waiting to have an encounter with penguins or a sloth, feed stingrays or take a behind-the-scenes tour can finally rejoice.

OdySea Aquarium re-launched these programs, though the tours and encounters will only be available on weekends and select weekdays for the time being to allow the animals to re-acclimate to human interactions after not having any for over two years.

“It’s something that a lot of people were looking forward to when we had them, pre-COVID and I think that based on the response that we’ve already gotten, it’s pretty clear that people enjoyed that opportunity to be able to get up close and personal with some of the different animals here,” said Josh Jarnagin, OdySea Aquarium senior animal care specialist.

Despite the high demand for animal encounters, the aquarium is only offering encounters on weekends and will offer two time slots for groups of eight to 10 people to interact with a sloth or a waddle of penguins.

The creatures have not interacted with strangers for two years because of pandemic-related restrictions. “Because we just brought them back online, this is kind of to gauge the interest from our guests, but also to make sure that we approximate (the interest) for the animals,” Jarnagin said.

“The animals are always our number one concern and so we want to make sure that we ease them back into that operation of potentially going seven days a week.”

As another precaution, each interaction will begin with a brief seminar where guests will learn fun facts about the animals and receive instructions on how to pet the animals. “One of the first things we always teach people is how to touch them, where to OdySea Aquarium senior animal care specialist Josh Jarnagin is excited to allow guests to encounter animals like Barny the sloth after a two-year pause on animal encounters. (Orlando Pelagio/

Tribune Contributor)

touch them and when to stop touching them,” Jarnagin said.

“Most people, for whatever reason, have an instinct to go for the face or the head to touch and that’s probably the worst place you want to touch any animal because that’s where their teeth are, that’s where their eyes are and it’s startling to most animals. So, we always touch our animals on the backside of their body usually going away from their head.”

In addition to educating guests about the animals, specialists use these interactions as an opportunity to drive home OdySea Aquariums’ conservation efforts.

“In all of our educational programming, we do have conservation messaging that goes along with it,” Jarnagin said.

“With our sloth program and our penguin program, we talk specifically about certain threats that those animals face and we give guests opportunities on things that you do when you go home or things that you can take away with you like websites or brands to shop from that also promote that same goal of conservation.”

Jarnagin also admits that once guests get an up-close and personal experience with these creatures spurs a newfound love for the creatures.

“The opportunity to have that up-close interaction gives guests a better appreciation and understanding of the animals,” he said. “Plus, guests get to learn from the animal care specialists themselves as they get to learn from the people who take care of those animals daily and ask them questions, so it kind of gives us that up-close educational opportunity.”

Not only is the encounter informative for guests, but Jarnagin also says it can be an emotional experience.

“Sometimes we get people who cry because it’s an emotional experience for them to be able to see some of these animals that they see in pictures or movies or read about but never have the opportunity to meet.”

These exclusive interactions are not the only thing to return to OdySea Aquarium as guests can once again feed the sting rays or take an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour to see how food is prepared for the animals and get a rare look at the top of OdySea’s 450,000-gallon shark habitat.

Tickets are selling fast for all experiences. 

If You Go...

What: OdySea Aquarium animal encounters and tours Where: OdySea Aquarium When: Weekends and select weekdays. See website for times. Cost: Sloth and penguin encounters are $64.95 each, behind the scenes shark tour is $9.95. Admission is not included in these prices. Info: odyseaaquarium.com

With JAN D’ATRI

GetOut Columnist

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